


Animal Affection

by Kalira



Category: Naruto
Genre: (the relationship), ANBU - Freeform, Anbu Hatake Kakashi, Anbu Yamato | Tenzou, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kakashi Week, Kakashi Week 2020, Light Angst, Open to Interpretation, Wolf Hatake Kakashi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:27:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26206420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalira/pseuds/Kalira
Summary: Kakashi is determined to always watch over his precious kohai, offering him comfort and protection. He won't give that up, even when his own nightmarish memories plague him, even when duties pull him away from ANBU and his kohai there, even if Tenzou may not always know who it is taking care of him.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Yamato | Tenzou
Comments: 12
Kudos: 114
Collections: Kakashi Week 2020, Kalira's Kakashi Week Stories (2020)





	Animal Affection

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Kakashi Week](https://kakashiweek.tumblr.com/post/623757588975190016/kakashi-week-2020-prompts), Day 8: ANBU
> 
> I originally thought this would be a ship fic by the end, but it wound up rather more deep friendship . . . though one may view the developments in any light, certainly.

Tenzou slipped out of his bunk and out on silent feet - marvelling a little at the fact that he _could_ ; trying not to disturb people out of habit and for politeness’ sake, not because he was forbidden to do as he was doing now.

It was only a short walk to reach an unbounded area _outside_ , stars glimmering in the night sky above, and Tenzou drew a deep breath, eyes open wide, taking it all in. It was . . . so different from everywhere he had ever been before, hidden away with the rest of Root. He had heard a few complaints about the living quarters in the ANBU headquarters; they were spare and small, as most ANBU did not stay here but in regular quarters in the village, unknown from their guises as ANBU.

As Kakashi did. Kakashi, who was responsible for Tenzou’s newfound freedom. Kakashi who had given him a way out, a new way of thinking . . . a name.

Kinoe had had a name, of course, but it was . . . hardly his own, or it didn’t feel like it. He liked _Tenzou_ \- liked the name, liked the way it sounded in Kakashi-senpai’s soft voice, liked the way its meaning wound up with his mokuton but didn’t reduce him to. . .

Tenzou stiffened as a silvery shape appeared in the undergrowth, eyes widening. A great wolf paced out into sight, cocking its head and . . . seemingly inspecting him.

Tenzou remained quite still. The wolf closed with him, and before Tenzou could decide what to do, brushed his muzzle lightly along Tenzou’s arm, nudging gently. Tenzou sank down, tentatively putting a hand on the soft fur, fingers curling into it.

The wolf’s tail wagged, ears pricking, and he settled to the ground alongside Tenzou, resting peaceably near. They remained there together in silence and Tenzou slowly relaxed, eventually leaning into his side, sleepy and warm, revelling in the unfamiliar feeling of companionable comfort.

* * *

Kakashi had intended to check on Tenzou, had been surprised to see him wandering outside in the night with no apparent purpose . . . he was more surprised at Tenzou’s ease with him in this shape. He nuzzled Tenzou, cocking an ear. Tenzou was asleep, heavy along his ribs, fingers curled into the thick fur of his ruff.

Nudging him a little, pulling him from his knees into a more comfortable curl, Kakashi sighed and nestled his head down over Tenzou’s waist. He yawned and closed his eye, tail sweeping lazily back and forth, content to rest here with his fragile new kohai.

He would wake Tenzou and send him back inside before anyone else would be awake, with those sent out tonight already gone and the others likely sleeping, but for now he could rest. Kakashi let himself doze as well, enjoying the cosy warmth, and the deep down stirrings of. . .

 _Pack_ , Kakashi thought, mostly subconscious, as a _rightness_ settled into his bones. He nestled his head closer against Tenzou’s belly, sighing.

* * *

Kakashi shook himself, ignoring the ache in his left forepaw - a dull pain that stretched up almost to his elbow - as he picked up speed, trotting through the thick brush. Tenzou was difficult to track, in the main, but Kakashi knew him, and knew his scent; it wasn’t too hard for Kakashi to search him out now.

Tenzou was sitting, knees tucked up, near a narrow ravine. Kakashi had wondered idly in the past if it were natural or left by a doton, but there was really no way to know, now.

Kakashi paused, senses fixed on Tenzou. He moved more slowly as he approached, and was nearly at Tenzou’s side before he looked up. Tenzou was clearly not surprised, though; not to find he was no longer alone, and not to see Kakashi. Not that Kakashi had expected him to be; it was hardly the first time Kakashi had come to him like this. _  
_  
Tenzou stretched out one arm, fingers splayed, and Kakashi paced up under it. Tenzou’s fingers curled into his fur, and Kakashi rubbed his cheek against Tenzou’s shoulder comfortingly, pressing near.

“Hello, wolf.” Tenzou said softly, then sighed, leaning his head against Kakashi’s shoulder. “My- My friend.”

Kakashi nuzzled him gently, settling to the ground at his side. Tenzou slowly eased down to rest against him, and Kakashi shifted to support him carefully. Tenzou spoke, quiet and careful, and Kakashi listened, crooning soothingly from time to time.

Eventually Tenzou went silent again, and not long after he fell asleep, cheek tucked against the curve of Kakashi’s neck.

He was tired, too, and it wasn’t as though this place was unsafe - they were deep in Konoha, and nearer to the ANBU headquarters than anything, without yet being too near. Kakashi remained awake, however, watching over Tenzou and thinking, finding his mind falling down fewer dark paths than usual.

He sighed, shifting his aching foreleg a little, letting it rest against Tenzou’s warm thigh, and finally went to sleep himself.

* * *

Tenzou offered a greeting almost before Kakashi padded out of the thick brush, and he snorted, ears flicking. Tenzou smiled a little, his dark eyes sad.

The look in them made Kakashi’s heart ache as he approached a little quicker. He had already been anxious to find Tenzou, having heard that he had been injured on his mission - the first he had taken since joining ANBU that had seen him head out without Kakashi, and he was furious that his kohai had been hurt while he wasn’t there to-

Kakashi twitched as Tenzou’s fingers burrowed into his fur a little more roughly than usual, and licked his cheek, nuzzling softly, when he apologised for it. Tenzou smiled, then sniffed, and Kakashi’s ears folded back, tail curling down.

Tenzou leaned into Kakashi, hiding against his shoulder, and Kakashi pressed close, offering that space to hide if he wished it. Tenzou clung to him, left hand stroking Kakashi’s chest lightly, right still gripping his fur.

Kakashi nudged and nuzzled, gently repositioning Tenzou so he was more comfortable, folding his own legs and letting Tenzou’s weight rest against him, curling close. Tenzou sighed, and Kakashi flicked an ear, hearing his thudding heartbeat slow a little as he relaxed.

Kakashi watched over him as he fell asleep, hoping that on their next mission they would be sent out together, and he could keep his precious kohai safe.

* * *

“There you are.”

Kakashi paused, surprised, barely out of the shrubbery. Tenzou turned and smiled at him, reaching out a hand, and Kakashi shook himself, trotting to his kohai. “I wondered if I would see you tonight. . .”

Kakashi had been forced to slip out of the hospital window in order to get here, and he ached all over from chakra exhaustion, but he’d been unable to rest without checking on Tenzou. It seemed he was doing better after their last mission than Kakashi himself, however.

At least that was something.

Kakashi settled heavily onto the earth at Tenzou’s side, resting his head in Tenzou’s lap and closing his eyes. He was . . . tired. Tenzou was steady against him, gently stroking his ears, and Kakashi found himself lulled by the companionship - _pack_ , his instincts sang, his heart eased - and the caresses, surrendering to exhaustion.

“You’re part of almost all my happy memories, you know that?” Tenzou said, and that made Kakashi whine softly. An animal, one that didn’t even speak to him, was one of the happiest parts of Tenzou’s life?

Kakashi heart ached, though he was too exhausted to do more than curl around Tenzou a little more, sighing, his tail swishing slowly. Tenzou’s next words were lost to him as he fell asleep.

* * *

Kakashi turned a page, his mind more on the utterly draining week he had suffered through than the book open before his face. He had pulled S-Rank missions while he was in ANBU that had been less miserable than this week.

. . .Tenzou would be back in tonight, Kakashi thought suddenly. He rolled up and out of bed, looking at the band of the night sky visible through his window, then put his book aside - he hadn’t really been registering anything in its pages anyway - and left his apartment behind. It was quiet, but the small space was too-loud with memories.

Sandaime may have taken him out of ANBU - away from his kohai - but Kakashi had been one of them for too long, it was all too easy for him to keep up with ANBU secrets . . . or with Tenzou, to go to him. And Tenzou still _needed_ him, Kakashi thought as he made his way towards the outskirts of the village where the ANBU headquarters were hidden away.

Five minutes later he was running through the shadowy undergrowth at the edges of the forest where it blended into ANBU training fields, paws silent and ears pricked to the sounds of the night. It didn’t take long for him to find Tenzou, near the ANBU barracks but not too near, and he padded out cautiously, though he knew Tenzou was alone.

Tenzou looked up and his impassive face cracked immediately, wide eyes warm and lips curving as he reached out to Kakashi in welcome. He paced closer, lowering his head, tail sweeping lazily back and forth a few times as he approached. He wound around Tenzou’s back, pressing close, before settling at his right side, body curled around him.

 _He still needs me_ , Kakashi thought as Tenzou’s fingers sank into his fur, Tenzou leaning into him, and then put his head down on Tenzou’s thigh, one ear flicking, his heart aching even as some of the hurt he’d been carrying eased in Tenzou’s company.

 _Does he?_ Kakashi thought. _Does he need me, or do I need him?_

Kakashi curled a little tighter as the question bounced around his mind, and Tenzou hummed softly, burying both hands in Kakashi’s fur. He stroked with a light touch, occasionally tugging a little more firmly, and while Kakashi’s mind was still tangled up - his new orders, his new _students_ \- he found himself settling under the offered comfort. Far more quickly than he would have guessed possible - if he’d thought the painful mess of his memories and his new worries would ease at all.

Kakashi cringed, whining softly and lowering his head, feeling a swell of guilt. He had begun this to help _Tenzou_ , to be there for his kohai - to offer comfort and a silent bolster if he would take it, especially when he was newly finding his feet and making his own way, directly out of Root.

But now . . . Kakashi wondered. . . If this was more, now, for _his_ benefit than Tenzou’s, could he continue. . .

Kakashi drew back, and Tenzou made a soft sound of startlement, reaching after him. Kakashi shook himself, pulling out of reach, and Tenzou stilled, eyes on Kakashi.

He took a breath, then shifted to his human shape - the first time he’d shifted in front of someone since . . . in many years. He kept his head tipped down for a moment. “Yo, Tenzou.” he said weakly.

“. . .senpai?” Tenzou returned tentatively, and Kakashi heard him moving.

Kakashi looked up. “I’m sorry, I-” He paused, swallowing. “I don’t wish to hide - to lie- I should, perhaps, have admitted to you earlier. . .”

“Kakashi-senpai.” Tenzou said, and Kakashi was surprised as his fingers brushed over Kakashi’s wrist. “You never lied to me.”

Kakashi frowned, but inclined his head in acknowledgement. Tenzou was all too ready to forgive him, he thought, with a pang. “I should have been honest with you, though.”

“I’ve always known it was you, being my wolf, Kakashi-senpai.” Tenzou said, and Kakashi froze. Tenzou smiled, a hint of mischief on his face. “I know you. I’ve always been thankful for your company . . . in either shape.” He paused. “Everything,” he continued, more softly, “good in my life, is because of you, or found with you, senpai. Of course I knew that this was, too.”

Kakashi swallowed thickly. “I- Oh. Tenzou.”

Tenzou moved towards him, then stopped, fidgeting. Kakashi brushed his fingertips over Tenzou’s fingers, still wrapped around his wrist, and startled as Tenzou moved again in a sudden rush, pressing snugly against him, catching him in a clingy embrace.

It wasn’t the first time - Kakashi had curled himself around Tenzou as he clung to Kakashi’s neck and his fur, leaning on him, many times over the years. But this time Kakashi wrapped his own arms around Tenzou in return, breath catching as he all but melted into it, sighing a soft, warm breath against Kakashi’s neck.

Kakashi nuzzled him, pulling him a little closer, and curled around Tenzou as best he could in this shape as he had so many times in the other. Tenzou sighed again, contented and quiet, and let Kakashi support him.

It was only the latest of many times they had fallen asleep with their bodies intertwined under the broad canopies of Konoha’s forests, if the first with Kakashi in this shape.

* * *

Tenzou breath hitched as he made his way through the quiet village, and a figure that could have been shaped of moonlight and shadow itself stepped out to meet him. His throat tightened, eyes lingering on Kakashi’s face, then dropping away swiftly.

Kakashi approached cautiously, and Tenzou pressed his lips together, jaw tensing. “I-” he began, then broke off. “May I have my wolf?” he asked softly, voice wavering.

Kakashi stilled, and Tenzou raised his gaze, wincing. It was quite a thing to ask, he knew. Kakashi tilted his head, then slid smoothly into his wolf shape and padded nearer, ears pricked. Tenzou took a deep breath, the tightness in his chest easing, and wrapped his arms around Kakashi’s neck.

His tail swished in a single lazy wag as he pushed into the embrace, solid and steady and warm. He remained there, his only movements to snuggle closer, until Tenzou managed to loosen his grip, and then drew back a little and licked Tenzou’s cheek.

He laughed, startling himself, and then ducked his head. Kakashi nuzzled his shoulder, moving around him, cosied up close, and nudged him into movement. Tenzou wound his fingers into Kakashi’s fur and let himself be guided.

Rather than bringing Tenzou to his apartment, Kakashi led the way to a quiet pocket of one of the wilder patches of forest edging training fields eleven through nineteen. Tenzou smiled, raising his left hand and brushing his fingers over rough bark as they passed between great tree trunks.

Coming to a stop, Kakashi cocked an ear and looked at Tenzou. He sighed, smile lingering even as he dropped his hand from Kakashi’s shoulder. “This is . . . nice.” he agreed, and Kakashi gave a low whuff, then stretched lazily, toes splaying as his paws slid through the underbrush. He lay down and rolled a little onto his side, settling into a comfortable curl.

It also left a neat curve of himself open for Tenzou to fit into, and he took the offered space eagerly, settling on his knees by Kakashi’s ribs and leaning into him, head resting on his shoulder.

Kakashi rumbled softly, soothing and affectionate, and Tenzou closed his eyes, smoothing his palm over one of Kakashi’s slender legs. Whichever form he was in, _this_ had always been safety and comfort for Tenzou, from his first days in ANBU - when Kakashi had ever been at his side - even now, when Kakashi was long out of ANBU himself and . . . Tenzou was finally beginning to follow, taking missions as something akin to a regular jounin. Even if it were not under his own name.

It was comforting to know that wherever he went, this place at Kakashi’s side - Kakashi himself, his support and affection - was always there waiting for Tenzou.


End file.
